Enslaved
by frostytrish
Summary: AU: Set in Ancient Egypt, Prince Seijuro's father decides to give him a slave for his birthday. The only catch is, the unhappy prince is only allowed that one slave until his next birthday. AKAFURI - T for now due to violence, might change to M in the third chapter
1. Chapter 1

Alright, I'm not used to this style of writing, but I think I did alright so far... This was supposed to be a one shot, but I think I got a little carried away, so enjoy this for now and I'll update when I can. And for all of the people following my Yullen fic, I'm so sorry it's taling so long! I'm a horrible person! TT-TT I promise I'm trying to work on it!

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**Enslaved**

It was not unlike any other day for the young prince. Aside from the fact that he happened to be another year older on this particular day. He himself didn't see how it was a big deal, however his father always insisted on giving him at least one gift. Unsure as to why his father insisted on such a ridiculous ritual was beyond him. It wasn't as if he couldn't attain anything he wanted anyways, such was the advantage of being born into royalty, not that it didn't have it's disadvantages, though, those weren't difficult to deal with. At least not to Seijuro anyways. Pondering what ridiculous gift his father would bestow upon him this year, Seijuro entered the throne room, kneeling before his father.

"My son, there is no need for such formalities on this day." standing up the young prince noticed a look of unease settling on the royal advisor's face.

_Wonderful _he thought to himself, _Father must have decided on something exceptionally bizarre this time. _

The Pharaoh himself was competent enough, he ruled the land and his people well, none of this Seijuro would deny, but when it came to family matters or interests, the man could be quite daft, Pharaoh or no Pharaoh.

"Seijuro, On this year my gift to you is a new responsibility." _That's all? That isn't too bad I suppose… _

"It has come to my attention that you go through slaves far more quickly than necessary. So my gift to you is a single slave. He will be the only one allowed to serve you for the next year, aside from the guards and their usual duties. I realize this is asking a lot of you, however my boy, you must learn the value of a single man's worth regardless of status." _So that's it._

"Father, I do not understand what it is you are asking of me. A slave is a slave. Each one is replaceable, none is special. For what reason must I rely on one slave to fulfil my needs?"

"Because, one is all it takes Seijuro. You are to question me no farther, my decision is final. I have hand picked this particular slave just for you, he should suit your needs just fine. As of now all of your current slaves have been sent elsewhere to perform other duties on my orders." Furiated, the prince turned and took his leave. When he becomes Pharaoh, he will not have to be subjected to his fathers outlandish requests or whims, _he _will become Pharaoh, He will become powerful, and everything he says will be absolute.

_Who cares about how many slaves die? Countless of them fall dead each week anyways, they are disposable. _The young prince continued on this thought process until he arrived at his bed chambers. He sat at his desk, deciding to immerse himself in his studies to clear his mind until a guard called for permission to enter. Seijuro sat up and turned towards the door.

"You may enter." The guard entered the room accompanied by a scrawny looking boy with messy brown hair. "So this must be the slave my father 'hand picked' himself." he practically spat. The boy flinched at the prince's harsh tone and his heart rate increased as Seijuro walked over for a better look. "Slave, your name." The demand was clear.

"K-Kouki Furihata"

"And for what reason are you so special?" He sneered "What was it about you that impressed my father so?"

"I can read as well as write … not many slaves have that ability." The slave's gaze stayed glued to the ground until Seijuro yanked his head up by his hair to study his face.

"And how is it you became so literate."

"M-my parents taught me when I was young."

"And how is it they learned?"

"I-it's been passed down throughout my family."

"I see." Seeming to lose interest, Seijuro let go of Furihata's hair and went back to his desk. To be honest, Furihata was relieved by this. He had heard countless rumors about the young prince, how he treated his slaves horribly. It was said that he often made them starve to death as punishment for not satisfying his wishes, and was supposedly a great one for the lashings, however these were all rumors and Furihata didn't want to make any assumptions. Though the truth of the matter was that he was born a slave, lashings are fairly common for most and many starve to death anyways, not that he thinks it's right, but a slave has no voice in the matter and it's always best to keep such thoughts to one's self.

Not too long after Seijuro had gone to his desk, he got back up and excused the guard who left promptly. After that Furihata felt like he was a small prey with the way his new master kept circling him.

"You really don't seem very fit at all. What a shame, though between brawns and brains I suppose my father chose best. If you're smart I won't have to lose the only slave I'm permitted at the moment. However if you cause any trouble whatsoever, you might as well be dead. " Furihata noded, feeling the cold stare his master was giving him, understanding his position fairly well. Finally his master had decided to stand in one place. "It really is a ridiculous demand from my father. I don't see how one slave's life could possibly be worth more than ten or twenty. In the end you're all just expendable tools." a menacing smirk played across his lips "Why should it matter to him how many die? There certainly isn't any danger of a shortage~"

"That's a terrible thing to say! Every life has value, even a slave's!" Realizing his mistake too late, his eyes widen and he covers his mouth. The expression on his master's face became dark for a brief moment as he made his way back towards the now trembling boy in front of him.

"Could you repeat that for me?" He asked in an almost pleasant voice, "Because I could have sworn you said that you disagree with me, but that can't be the case. After all, I am never wrong~"

"I … Ah … Er …"

"Do speak up, I absolutely _detest _mumbling."

"I-I said that's a t-terrible thing to say…" before Furihata had time to ponder the consequences of opening his mouth again a sharp pain erupted across one side of his face.

"You have some nerve _slave_. You'd better find a way to keep that mouth of yours quiet. Don't forget. I can dispose of you easily and no one would miss you. You'd just be another corpse in the garbage heap."

_But then you'd be down your only slave _Furihata was tempted to say. Seijuro could see the wheels turning in the slave's head as if he had another 'smart' comeback but the boy stayed silent as well he should. A slave should be seen and not heard, much like a woman, and should listen to orders to the letter.

"Now off to the kitchen with you. I have yet to eat my morning meal." Furihata hesitantly bowed and left to go get his master some food, returning promptly with a tray full of the things the cooks knew Seijuro liked, and of course, Furihata would have had to watch the royal food tasters to make sure nothing was poisoned. However, before his slave could make it across the room, the nervous wreck tripped over his own clumsy feet, letting out a shout, scattering food all over the floor, and causing the tray to clash noisily onto the ground.

"I-I'm sorry! It was an accident! I'll go get you some more food!"

By this point, the prince was beyond angry. Livid wasn't even quite the right term for his rage either. Without as much as a word Seijuro grabbed the slave boy by his hair and drug him to a somewhat empty room. Furihata recognized the silhouette of the whip and knew what was coming to him. He tried to hold in the pathetic yelps and whimpers that he knew would escape his lips anyways each time the rough material cut open a fresh wound on his exposed back. Even the tears he had fought against had decided to surface without his permission after the a few more lashings. Eventually his master had decided it was enough and finally stopped hitting him. Furihata didn't know how many times he was hit, he decided it was probably best not to count, though he was glad it was over. Seijuro threw the leather whip back to the ground and drug Furihata to one of the guards.

"Take him to Shintarou." He then looked back the small pathetic boy, still visibly angry "After he's done with you, I want you to bring me a fresh tray of food. After that, you can clean up the mess you made of my chambers. I expect it to be spotless." The boy nodded as he was shoved into the guard who did as he was told.

It wasn't a long journey, but every step renewed the pain in Furihata's back, not that he hadn't been whipped before, it wasn't the first time his mouth and clumsiness had gotten the better of him and it certainly wasn't the last. It had just been a while, and the prince was a lot stronger than he'd expected. At last they seemed to have reached their destination. The giant man that had lead him there gestured for him to stay put and then left.

"Not much of a conversationalist I see …" Furihata stood there per instructions until the person he supposed he was meant to meet appeared.

"So you're the new slave everyone is raving about. I see you've already managed to get yourself into trouble." the taller man noted blandly.

"It wasn't intentional, I'm unfortunately cursed with clumsiness. I tripped and dropped the prince's morning meal."

"I see. Turn around, let me look at the damage." Nodding, the boy did as he was asked.

"That looks like more than a spoiled meal to me. You do anything else to make him angry?" he soaked some cloth in a pot of water and began cleaning out the wounds causing Kouki to wince.

"Earlier I opened my mouth and I shouldn't have … It's a bad habit of mine … No matter how hard I try the words just sometimes slip out … But he slapped me for that already."

"I'm going to tell you something you'll come to realize later on anyways. Violence doesn't satisfy his anger. He's still going to be mad afterwards no matter how hard of a beating he gives you and will likely send you back to me afterwards so that he has time to clear his head. I've seen it countless times." He seemed somewhat bitter with the last words he spoke

"I didn't mean to speak my mind though, it just … slipped out …"

"There is nothing the young prince loathes more than retaliation. If you're smart you'll get that under control quickly least I'll be seeing you here far too often. With the resources available there is only so much I can do for you, though working in the palace has it's advantages. " The rag left Furihata's back and the medicine man began mixing together a salve for the cuts.

"... as much as the Prince dislikes his situation, at least I'm a little better taken care of here … I've seen many people suffer badly and die from wounds such as mine because they couldn't get treated ..." He hissed at the unexpected pain that came from Shintarou, rubbing the solution into his back.

"Your optimism will either save you or get you killed one of these days."

"I'd like to think that it'll save me."

"Of course you do." He stated flatly; "You're done now so get on with your duties."

Seijuro paced his bed chambers after he sent the guard and his slave away, avoiding the spilled food to avoid unnecessarily dirtying his feet, thinking to himself and muttering in an uninterpretable manner.

_What was father thinking?! When he 'hand picked' him, was he intending to mock me?! _He sighed and lay on his bed and tried to go about his situation a bit more rationally than he had. _Perhaps I shall think of this as a test. This slave only needs a bit more training before he meets my specifications … I do have the spare time, it shouldn't be too difficult to strengthen him up a bit and work on that speaking problem he has… _he continued to ponder this and think up different strategies to fix his slave to his specifications, he hadn't however, stopped to think about how hungry he was becoming until his stomach growled at him.

"Speaking of which… Where is he. It shouldn't have taken Shintarou that long to clean him up." As if on cue the smaller boy walked in with a tray.

"w-where do you want it?" Seijuro sat up and pointed to a smaller table to the side of the room.

"What took you so long." again, more a demand than a question

"Ah, s-sorry about that … The kitchen staff wasn't happy with me …" Furihata carefully walked over to the table and set the tray down.

"They should know by now that's not their job." the prince muttered, a bit irritated for that being the only reason for his food taking so long to arrive. The brunette wasn't their concern anyways. Their one and only job was to prepare the food. _The only reason it should take more time than necessary is if one of the tasters died, then there would be an execution. But before that would be pain. So. Much. Pain._ Seijuro smirked at this thought. If _anyone_ was caught trying to poison him they would be wishing for death _long_ before they're given the privilege.

Not long after Seijuro had finished his meal, his new slave was still scrubbing the floor and he found himself honestly wondering where his father dug up such a pathetic mouthy slave that could hardly do any labor without breaking a sweat. He was also obviously lacking in punishment as well. Yes there were scars on his back already before he had whipped him from a supposed previous master or slave trader, but they must have been years old given how faded they had become.

_Usually that would mean the slave tended to be fairly obedient and not need such severe punishment to be kept in line … Perhaps his last owner was just sloppy and lenient? _He shook his head. _What do I care? He's a slave, his past doesn't concern me. Regardless, he belongs to me now and no matter the lifestyle he was used to up until now, he is going to get used to this new one else he really won't live that much longer. _

It was odd to him though. The prince usually had several slaves in the vicinity at the same time, each going about their assigned daily tasks, or doing whatever new task he would give them. only having one, there weren't as many things going on for him to observe at once, though that had never been a problem for him anyways. Seijuro was always able to spot uprising trouble or if one of the slaves had tried to make mischief; nothing ever got passed him, which was one of the reasons he went through them so quickly. He has had yet to have a slave that didn't have a death wish at some point or another, which was perfectly fine for him, if they wanted to die so badly he'd gladly assist.

Before he realised it, a week had gone by; the longest Seijuro usually had a single slave for, though occasionally they lasted longer. if he were to be honest with himself, the worst the boy really was, was clumsy and no matter what he did, that mouth wouldn't learn its lesson no matter how many times he was punished for it. Already they had fallen into a routine. The prince hardly had to tell Furihata what needed to be done anymore aside from whenever he trips and makes a mess, or Seijuro had made different plans for the day.

One thing was constant however, Furihata almost never left Seijuro's sight unless he was told to go fetch something, or would go before hand to heat up the bath for him, or whenever Seijuro wanted to go horse riding on his own for a while. As time drew on, He decided that he rather enjoyed the regularity of this schedule and had become slightly reluctant to punish his slave, but part of him still enjoyed it. It was an odd contradiction on his part, not that it really mattered anyways.

Though, no matter how hard he tried to disregard them, the questions continued nagging at the back of his mind. The boy truly did make him curious for some reason, he wanted to know everything about the clumsy, mouthy, little slave boy he had begun to grow if ever so slightly fond of. Perhaps he would give his father a private visit, he was going to get his answers for no other reason than to satisfy his curiosity, though he'd arrange for it tomorrow, it was late,he had grown weary, and any minute now Furihata would come in to let him know the bath water is ready and he could finally relax.

Furihata on the other hand, didn't have that growing fondness for his new master, If anything, he grew more terrified by the day and found himself relieved whenever he was sent off to do this week he had been beaten and whipped more than he likely ever had and was constantly sore and in pain. He hated being alone with the prince, especially when the man was feeling talkative. Most often when something was said that Furihata disagreed with, or was skeptical about, he would unconsciously open his mouth, which would usually earn him a smack across the face, or under other circumstances the whip. There were few people here who were kind to him, or even paid him any mind at all.

The first was Shintarou, who treated his wounds most times he got beat, the second was a boy he occasionally saw. He wasn't sure who he was or what his business was, but if he silently offered his help every now and then when Seijuro wasn't around, the last, but certainly not the least was a servant girl. She was kind and helped him prepare the hot stones for his master's bath. She also showed him the tools he could use to transfer the stones from the burning coals to the water without burning himself, and for that, he was truly grateful. She didn't say a whole lot at first, but he learned her name when she was summoned by one of the guards. Riko. After that each day they would talk a little more as the stones were heating up.

After the water was warmed up enough Furihata went to go let his master know.

"Master Seijuro, the bath is ready." Music to the prince's ears.

"Good." Without another word Kouki took a change of clothes for his master and they went back to the bath and he disrobed. Handing his clothes off to Furihata to put them somewhere dry, he lowered himself into the bath. After taking care of Seijuro's clothes, the smaller boy striped as well and bathed himself with cold water to the side of the room. stopping only when he was told to add another stone. He finished quickly and redressed himself only to discover that Seijuro had fallen asleep. In the bath. Unsure of what he was supposed to do at that point, he panicked a little.

_D-do I wake him up? Or should I let him sleep?! I don't want him to get mad at me! Alright, calm down Kouki, just, just wake him up. He can just go back to sleep if he wants right? _Hesitantly, he approached the bath and was about to tap Seijuro when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he saw the boy that had helped him several times before; he wore a very unsettling smirk.

"I can wake him."

"A-are you sure? He might get mad at you…"

"He'll get over it." Furihata watched nervously as the bluenette stepped towards the bath and knelt over; his nervousness turned to horror when Seijuro's face was doused with water. He instantly woke up spitting out the unexpected water and glared at the other boy.

"Tetsuya!"

"I apologise my prince. You were asleep and your slave was unsure of what to do, so I decided to help." Seijuro continued glaring at him, irritated with the deadpanned expression that had been perfected long ago.

"Tetsuya. There are other ways to wake someone without dousing them."

"I will keep that in mind. Though now you don't have to worry about becoming a raisin. Perhaps you should get more sleep so that you don't drift off in the bath again." As the prince got out of the bath and dried himself off he calmed down and continued to question Tetsuya. "What are you really here for Tetsuya? I know you couldn't care less about my appearance or whether I spend too much time in the bath."

"I came to inform you that Kagami will be watching over the guard tonight."

"What happened to Daiki?"

"He has some… Personal matters to attend to and has been pardoned for the night." Seijuro sighed before responding;

"There will be no sympathy tomorrow if he overdoes it."

"I know." Furihata could only stand there in shock that Tetsuya was able to be so casual around Seijuro. Though, he supposed it's only normal for him to at least have _someone _like that around. He can't hate everyone can he? He and the bluenette exchanged a few more words before Tetsuya disappeared once more and Seijuro finished dressing himself before taking his leave from the bath, Furihata following as usual.

"Um … M-master … May I ask who that was?"

"Tetsuya is none of your concern, now go to bed. I am going to retire for the night and I expect you to be awake at the usual time."

"O-okay …"

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Thank you so very much for reading this all the way through, I'm sorry if the names and titles seemed redundant .

Please review! I love reading your thoughts!

P.S. I was getting reviews that said that the story was hard to read because the paragraphs were too long and was causing eye strain. Since then I broke them up into smaller chunks, I hope it helped!


	2. Chapter 2

I'm sorry it always takes me so long to past chapters! Originally this was going to only be a one-shot, but it looks like it's going to be more like 3 or 4 chapters. Way more than I intended to write, but oh well. I how you all are enjoying this!

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Almost three months had passed since Seijuro's birthday and his interest in the slave had grown increasingly. The boy had grown a little more muscle and stamina since then from the labor and he didn't talk back as often, though he did experience a slip of the tongue on occasion. He kept him close as usual, continuing to keep a close eye out for any signs of trouble. Not that he felt the need to anymore, but Kouki needed to know he was still being watched. Just because he minded himself on Seijuro's time, didn't mean that he did so on his own.

Besides, Seijuro rather enjoyed watching him; though he now knew most of his backstory, he couldn't help to be continuously curious about his slave. He had worked for the royal scribe's wife for most of his life before she died.

_No wonder he turned out this way. That woman was too soft hearted. Plus, being owned by the scribe is proof enough that he is literate, the man has very high expectations for others and had Kouki not already known how to read and write, he would have certainly learned during his service there… _

He briefly recalled his own lessons when his father decided that it was time he learned as well. They weren't nearly as difficult as they were time consuming. One other thing about his slave that he found a little odd. He found that he loved to punish him. Not that he didn't enjoy punishing his past slaves, but this boy especially. He may have had a certain reluctance at one point, but now, now it was something he couldn't help but enjoy.

It was strange and felt almost unhealthy even. He also strangly disliked the fact that Kouki had ever belonged to anyone else and tried not to ponder it often, it only vexed him. _Perhaps I should speak to Shintarou, maybe he will know what's going on…_

Furihata on the other hand was always sore and tired. He hurt everywhere and dreaded the whip. Speaking out wasn't as much of a problem as it had been, though still every now and again something would make it passed his filter and Seijuro would almost always use it as an excuse to pull out the torture device. Though his tolerance for pain was subtly growing, he missed his old life where he didn't get beat and he wasn't in constant pain, though it felt like it sometimes. He was allowed to read as much as he wanted after his work was done. Not that he had Before he belonged to the prince, he really hadn't been wiped since before he was sold to the scribe when he was really young. However, he had lost most of the memories he had before then, though he did remember it was his parents who taught him to read. Sure, Furihata got into trouble for speaking out of turn from time to time whenever there was company, but the worst he usually got was a smack to the face or something like that.

At least there were a couple times of each day that he could look forward to. The first was after lunch; when Seijuro would leave to ride one of the horses for a couple hours and he would be left to clean on his own and didn't have the prince's eyes permanently set on him. He was still constantly watched by the guards in Seijuro's absence, however, they weren't nearly as intimidating and he could occasionally talk with them depending on who was on watch.

The second was at the end of the day when he went to heat the bath. He and Riko had become friends to a certain extent and he always looked forward to talking with her, though honestly, aside from her and Shintarou, there weren't many people who would talk to him unless they were scolding him.

Today was like most other days, Furihata was carrying a tray of food to his master's room. He was about halfway there when, like many times before, he tripped over his own two feet. Luckily none of the food joined him on the floor. … _wait … how is that possible? _He stood up and directly in front of him, holding the tray of food was Tetsuya.

"Ah! Thank you so much! I'm really sorry but I'm very grateful. Now the kitchen staff won't yell at me and Master won't be upset getting his food late!" He bowed and took the tray back from the bluenette.

"Since I was already here, it would have been rude to watch you fall with the food."

"Ah, well you didn't have to… I'm pretty sure no one else would have."

"That's because 90% of the palace staff are assholes. Trust me, I'd know. Just be a little more careful next time." Furihata shuffled a little and started towards Seijuro's room again.

"Well, I really can't agree, it'd be above my place to insult those with a higher station than myself. Thank you again though."

"Don't worry, I can insult them all for the both of us." A small smirk played at his lips as he began following Furihata.

"Ah well, thank you again, I think you're a really nice person too … But I'm really not supposed to talk to you. Master-

"What Seijuro doesn't know won't hurt him, and I'm glad you think so. Don't tell anyone though, I've got my appearance to keep up." Kouki looked at the boy incredulously.

"Okay … And just because it won't hurt him doesn't mean it won't hurt me!" he half pouted. Tetsuya silently chuckled at the expressions he was given.

"Don't think about it too hard."

"I'll try not to … Um … Why do you help me so often anyways?"

"Because I feel like it. And watching Seijuro bust a vein is amusing."

"No it isn't! It's terrifying!" Furihata looked horrified while Tetsuya continued on with a deadpanned expression.

"When you aren't getting punished for it, it's hilarious. I think even if I was punished at one point, it'd be worth it."

"You mean you haven't been yet?! That seems oddly amazing, how have you managed such an astounding feat?"

"He isn't permitted yet to be able to punish me. I know he'll have his revenge when he becomes Pharaoh though. I'm just getting away with as much as I can while I'm able to."

"I hope it's worth it in the end then … I'm not sure how making the master angry, or anyone for that matter could be fun, but to each his own I guess."

"I like that you speak your mind Kouki, not many in this place do. It's very admirable."

"But, I try not to! It's proven to be hazardous to my health on several occasions … Honestly the words just slip out and I'm rarely able to hold them back." Kouki sighed and ran a hand through his cocoa hair, still holding the tray with his free arm as the other boy continued along with him.

"I don't think the prince quite minds as much as he would like to make you think he does. He enjoys an intellectual challenge, but doesn't like to be spoken back to. I'm sure if your slip of the tongue were to be a praise, or something to stroke his ego, the punishment would be either reduced, or ignored completely."

"So … If I cover something up as a compliment, he won't hurt me as much?"

"So long as it's not an obvious cover up I don't see why not." He shrugged. "Though you may want to start small or he might get suspicious." Kouki paused for a moment;

"You're saying, that if I just start giving him small and scattered compliments, then he'll not punish me as much?" He became hopeful and began walking again.

"Possibly, or he'll punish you more. He is a bit of a sadist. But it's honestly a 50/50 chance." Furihata paled.

"So, it could get worse … I could always stop giving compliments if that's the case. Right?" Tetsuya was quiet for a moment then spoke again before Kouki could;

"If it helps, though, I am mostly sure he'll be nicer to you." Kouki sighed again and paused before entering the prince's room.

"I guess you're right … And again, if it doesn't work I can just stop."

"Good luck then. And if he asks, just tell him it was me who helped." Tetsuya lightly patted him on the back and disappeared.

"R-right …" Furihata took a deep breath and entered the room, carefully crossing it, he set the tray on the table where Seijuro usually took his meals and began thinking of a compliment, once he started thinking though it really wasn't difficult to come up with a list. Honestly, aside from a few personality flaws, Furihata couldn't help but think the prince was pretty near perfect. Strong, Independent, Brave, a natural leader; All good qualities to be found in royalty. Not to mention that he was Handsome as well. Sure he was also quick to anger, and a bit violent, but he was also analytical, and just. Of course, that last one seemed only to apply to those that weren't Furihata himself.

Upon hearing Kouki enter with his meal, Seijuro got up from his desk and walked over to where he took his food. At first he wasn't bothered by Furihata, but his slave continued to gawk at him. Not that Seijuro wasn't used to people staring from time to time, he _was _the prince after all, but it was uncharacteristic of Furihata. He always appeared too shy or scared to look at Seijuro directly unless ordered to. So he asked nonchalantly, not sounding too curious, though it was a question all the same.

"Kouki, why are you staring at me?" He jumped, somewhat startled by the sudden question.

"I uh, I-I was just thinking h-how I never really noticed how amazing you really are …" Seijuro was somewhat taken aback by the sudden compliment, but he didn't let it show. Instead he gave a simple response as though it was common knowledge.

"Of course I am. I am going to be Pharaoh one day and must live up to what is expected of me. There is no room for error."

"I-I see …" Furihata looked back down to his feet, waiting for his next order as he usually did while Seijuro ate. During this time the prince began thinking about how strange the cocoa haired boy could be.

It was also a pleasant surprise that, even though the contents of the plate seemed to be shifted around a bit, that his lunch wasn't late this time around. Either Kouki was getting better at catching himself, or someone helped him. Though the newly forming bruise on his knee seemed to indicate the latter, the hope that one day he could regularly eat at his scheduled time was a nice pipe dream. Thinking about it a little more, Seijuro couldn't help but ask himself; _who had helped Kouki?_

Watching his master from his usual spot, Furihata noticed a look of puzzlement spread across Seijuro's face. Curious as to what the prince was thinking, he spoke up.

"Is something wrong master?"

"Who helped you today?" Furihata froze, not sure how to answer. _I don't want to get Tetsuya in trouble, but I also don't want to get in myself trouble for lying!_

"h-how do you-"

"The food on the plate is shifted, which tells me that you at least stumbled. My first thought was that you merely caught yourself, but then I saw the bruise on your knee. You would have dropped it again had someone not come to your assistance." Furihata's eyes widened and he looked down to his knee. Sure enough, a bruise had begun to form from his fall. He again began to ponder just how amazing his master was.

"Well?" Seijuro was getting impatient. "And what's with that ridiculous expression?"

"Eh!? OH! Ah, sorry …" Furihata blushed a little, slightly embarrassed and the young prince couldn't help but think that it was cute. In fact, he found himself thinking that about Kouki fairly often these days. His actions, his speech, his many facial expressions. One thing he liked about Furihata was that the boy was easy to read. Akashi could often tell what or how he was thinking or feeling just by observing his face, or even just how he moved.

His favorite times were times like this. Seeing the small boy flustered and red. He would never admit that aloud, though it didn't stop him from smirking at his accomplishment, which generally made Kouki even more flustered. To put it in fewer words, He was adorable. Even so, Seijuro never let it distract him from his goals. He still wanted to know who had helped Kouki and wasn't going to let it slide passed him; and as cute as Furihata was, he was getting impatient.

"Kouki, I'm only going to ask once more. Who helped you?"

Remembering Tetsuya's earlier words, he decided it was likely safe enough to tell;

"Tetsuya helped me… I tripped and he happened to be there, so he caught the tray before it ended up on the floor." Seijuro sighed _Of course it was Tetsuya. I can't think of many others who could successfully help him or even give him a second thought honestly._

"And after he helped you I assume he struck up a conversation with you, Correct?"

"Ah, w-well y-yeah… I tried to walk away but he followed me…" Seijuro raised an eyebrow. He could tell that Kouki was telling the truth, as mentioned before, the boy was an open book.

"I see. Then what was it that you talked about?"

"Huh? Oh um, he said that you can't punish him for things you don't like or approve of until you become pharaoh." It wasn't a lie, Tetsuya _had _said that. He had also said many other things, however Furihata didn't want his master to get upset at Tetsuya for whatever else.

"Is that all?"

"W-well, not exactly, b-but other things shouldn't really matter … I keep in mind that you don't like me talking to Tetsuya, so I don't take everything he says to heart …" _Maybe that'll keep him from asking more about it. _Furihata was hopeful, and luckily his answer seemed to satisfy the prince.

"So long as you understand that much I'll leave you at that." Furihata bowed his head in thanks. "Go on and eat now, I'll see you next after I ride."

"Yes, thank you master." Furihata bowed once more and left Seijuro with his thoughts.

_Perhaps I could bring him with me one of these days… _He thought to himself. _Besides, as clumsy as he is, he generally is able to finish his duties early enough for it not to interfere too much with his regular schedule. _Seijuro continued to ponder this thought throughout his meal.

After he was finished eating, the young prince went out to the stables per usual to find that something was different. Ryouta, the one in charge of taking care of the horses was nowhere to be seen, or heard for that matter. Instead when he looked around once more, Tetsuya was there.

"What are you doing here Tetsuya? Where is Ryouta?"

"He isn't feeling well today and I am the only one available at the moment to take over his duties." Seijuro looked at him skeptically;

"My father's great assassin as a stable hand, I'd find it amusing if it wasn't so pitiful. Your talents are wasted here."

"The Pharaoh didn't only hire me for that reason. I'm fairly efficient with many other tasks. Besides, I know enough about horses, or did you forget that I had been issued one to be able to do my job? Horses are much faster than camels you know." The young prince gritted his teeth. _Leave it to Tetsuya to add to to my frustrations. _

"Don't mock me Tetsuya."

"Why would you think I would do that? I'm merely pointing out facts." He spoke in his usual monotone voice with that same deadpanned expression which only served to annoy the prince more.

"My nerves are wearing thin. I may not be able to take it out on you directly, but I have other methods. I may have restrictions, however I still am able to punish others in your stead."

"If you take out all of your frustrations from me on your slave boy, he'll certainly die and you won't have anyone left to order around." Seijuro gave a smirk;

"I'm not talking about Kouki, I may not be able to do as much, but I still do have my influence over the royal guard." Tetsuya's expression didn't change but a disapproving look sifted into his eyes.

"Acting in such an underhanded way doesn't suit you. I'm only doing what is asked of me bymy Pharaoh and giving honest answers to your questions. You must be ill if you are so easily irritated. Perhaps you should take the rest of the day to rest." Tetsuya's constant composure continued to frustrate the prince to no end. Instead of staying there any longer, he walked over to his horse and began preparing him for the ride.

"I am in perfect health. It is you in general that makes me irritable. Every time I turn around, you are in my way in one way or another. You may work directly under my father, but that does not give you the right to go against me whenever you feel the whim arise.

"Or, perhaps are you still sore about my saving your lunch from being an offering to the gods of the palace floors?" He gave a slight smirk, "I thought you enjoyed having lunch on time, though perhaps I was wrong."

"I'm not upset about that. Rather than helping him and then going on your way, you continued to speak with him. You aren't a good influence on him or his tendency to speak out of turn."

"I wasn't aware that holding friendly conversation was a crime my prince. Unless you wish to isolate him, in which case, I must tell you is quite cruel." Seijuro finished preparing his horse and mounted, now ready to ride off.

"I don't mind him talking to others, however there are a few people, including yourself whom I believe are not good influences on him." Tetsuya let out a sigh;

"I am lead to believe that Shintarou is not on that list since they seem to speak on almost a daily basis."

"That is correct. I trust that Shintarou is a good enough influence and since they do see each other on almost a daily basis, casual conversation is to be expected." Tetsuya let out an exasperated sigh.

"... You whip him too much, don't you think that if punishing him in such a manner worked that he would already be your ideal slave? Perhaps you need a different approach since physical abuse doesn't seem to be getting you as far as you have been wanting. I understand that is usually how you have always treated your slaves, however you seem to be harder on this one than previous slaves. Perhaps there is a reason you seem to enjoy harming him more than others."

"It's always been the answer in the past. Why shouldn't it work now? Besides, how I treat Kouki isn't really any of your business now is it?" and with that the prince rode off in his own leaving Tetsuya to his own disapproving thoughts as he himself mounted his horse and rode off with the prince.

Throughout the entirety of Seijuro's ride, Tetsuya's words rang through his head, unwilling to leave him alone. _Perhaps there is a reason you seem to enjoy harming him more than others. _Since the thought wouldn't leave him alone he decided to ponder the idea for a while. Granted he knew that he enjoyed harming the boy, but as for a reason, perhaps there was one.

_Well if there is a reason I should be able to figure it out. Now, why do I beat him so much? _For him the answer was easy. _He talks too freely. _Just then, a voice questioned him from within his mind. _But do you really mind when he talks? _Startled by the unexpected voice he paused. Pulling back on the reins, he ordered his horse to slow to a halt as he tried to figure everything out.

"Who are you?"

_I am you._

"No you aren't. I am Seijuro, son of the Pharaoh. I order you to tell me who you really are and why you are in my head."

_I assure you I'm not lying. Now answer the question; you really don't mind it when Kouki talks now do you? In fact, you kind of even enjoy his little observations and quips don't you~? I know this because I am you and you are me._

"Fine, then if you really are me, then why do I enjoy punishing him? If I really do like his blatant disrespect."

_I'm not going to answer your questions for you, you need to realise the answers on your own else you likely won't accept them. _Seijuro growled in irritation. _Perhaps the heat is getting to me. I probably would seem ill to anyone who saw me speaking to myself now. _He sighed and patted his horse.

"Time to go back." He turned the horse around and began heading back to the palace, though he made sure to take his time as the voice continued asking questions.

_What is it about beating him that makes it so enjoyable? Is it perhaps his voice, desperately calling out? Or perhaps his facial expressions. Maybe we like seeing that oh so vulnerable side of him~ _ The prince was sifting through all of the thoughts that were going through his head, trying to rationalise it all. The boy is a slave. Slaves aren't special, none of them are. This boy shouldn't be any different.

_We're too close minded. Think about it. Most of your slaves would have been long dead by now, but we've kept him alive. Why is that?_

"Simple. I wouldn't be able to have another one for a while had I killed him off."

_But that's not the full reason now is it? There must be more to it than that. Be honest with ourself._

"Then he's not as underhanded as my other slaves were. The only problems he's really caused would be his clumsiness and his tendency to talk back."

_Then again, we really don't mind either of those traits now do ? _Seijuro groaned in irritation.

"Stop talking like we're one and the same!"

_But we are. As I said before, I am you and you are me. Now if we could think through this rationally, questions may be answered. _The prince gave a sigh.

"Fine then." Eventually he arrived back at the stables, Tetsuya still following suit, and dismounted.

"Seijuro. You were talking to yourself for nearly the whole ride. Are you feeling ill?"

"I'm fine." The two let their horses into the corral so they could cool down from their run.

"You don't seem fine. I've never seen you like that before. It was concerning to watch. Perhaps you should go talk to Shintarou. I will make sure your horse is taken care of." Seijuro rolled his eyes.

"I don't need to talk to Shintarou. I'm fine." Kuroko stayed silent after that and let the prince leave in peace.

* * *

Thank you for reading and please review! I love reading what everyone thinks, it helps motivate me to write more.


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